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AI generated summary of the talk:

The talk by Giulia Clarizia examines how financial and business elites shaped transatlantic relations during the early Cold War (c. 1945–1960), not primarily through formal diplomacy, but through cultural initiatives and networks. Her central argument is twofold: Finance and business actors were key, underappreciated agents of the Cultural Cold War These elites actively supported and participated in cultural associations, publishing projects, and educational initiatives that fostered connections between the United States and Europe (especially Italy). Their role complicates the traditional view that cultural diplomacy was driven mainly by states. The “Cultural Cold War” framework is useful but insufficient While the concept helps explain ideological competition, it does not fully capture the complex, hybrid networks of state and private actors, nor the agency of European participants. Clarizia argues for a more nuanced interpretation that accounts for transnational, multi-actor networks rather than a simple US–USSR binary. Methodologically, she shows that historical network analysis reshapes both: the questions historians ask, and the interpretation of dispersed initiatives, using the metaphor of a constellation: individual cultural initiatives gain meaning only when analyzed relationally as part of a network. Her preliminary network visualization demonstrates: – dense overlaps between cultural organizations, financial elites, and policy actors – the centrality of individuals involved in multiple associations – the potential to quantify and qualify elite influence, while recognizing the limits of purely quantitative approaches Overall, the talk proposes that transatlantic cultural relations were produced through overlapping, semi-formal networks in which finance, culture, and politics were deeply intertwined.